Maintenance Inspector

Gerdau•Monroe Charter Township, MI

About The Position

The Maintenance Inspector supports the implementation and ongoing operation of Asset Reliability Processes (ARP) at Gerdau steel mills to improve asset health and equipment reliability, increase technical availability, and reduce maintenance costs. The position conducts sensory inspections and predictive maintenance activities, analyzes condition-monitoring findings, ensures follow-up actions are in process, and supports corrective work and reliability improvements. Coverage is generally one steel mill, with occasional support to sister plants; the stated scope is 1–2 steel mills. Travel is none to a maximum of 5–10%. The position reports directly to the Reliability Engineer. The role uses visual, auditory, and tactile inspection methods alongside predictive maintenance techniques, including vibration analysis, thermographic scans, airborne ultrasound, specialized motor testing equipment, and nondestructive testing. The Inspector creates and validates maintenance plans and tasks in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), manages inspection routes and predictive work, monitors asset-health indicators, and supports the analysis and resolution of equipment anomalies. The role also assists with corrective repairs when feasible, leads or participates in reliability projects and failure investigations, and provides technical assistance to the mill. The Inspector works with operations and maintenance personnel, management, contractors, vendors, and engineering stakeholders. The role includes coordinating equipment availability for inspections, contributing to training programs, maintaining safety and visual-management standards, and recommending technology or process changes for continual improvement. The position may require on-call availability depending on operational or project needs.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least 1 year of predictive maintenance (PdM) experience.
Working knowledge of heavy manufacturing, with at least 3 years of hands-on maintenance experience as an instrumentation technician, master mechanic, or electrician, or fulfillment of one of the alternative requirements referenced in the posting.
Broad knowledge of maintenance concepts and techniques.
Computer skills and project management skills.
Ability to communicate effectively with people with varied roles, personalities, and interests, including operating personnel, contractors, and vendors.
Ability to manage competing interests while modifying work procedures and equipment without compromising safety, quality, cost, or the environment.
Motivation to implement new technologies, champion predictive maintenance, and solve complex problems.
Ability to remain abreast of current technology and recommend continual improvements.
Availability for possible on-call work, with availability depending on operational or project requirements.

Responsibilities

Execute sensory inspections on assets according to routes established in preventive maintenance plans.
Identify equipment anomalies proactively through visual, auditory, and tactile inspections and predictive maintenance techniques.
Use predictive tools on inspection routes, including thermal cameras, vibration data collectors, and ultrasound equipment.
Open CMMS work orders when anomalies are detected, route them to equipment owners, and follow up weekly until resolution.
Support execution of corrective and improvement work orders.
Prioritize weekly predictive work orders with the maintenance team, provide technical support during scheduling, and track execution progress.
Recommend technical solutions and corrective actions to eliminate the root causes of equipment anomalies.
Coordinate equipment availability with operations for planned inspections while minimizing operational downtime.
Conduct internal gearbox inspections during major shutdowns and prepare post-inspection condition reports.
Maintain clean, organized, and safe tools, measurement instruments, workbenches, and work areas in accordance with 5S standards.
Perform precision laser shaft alignments on rotating equipment.
Issue critical exception reports for high-risk anomalies and escalate them immediately to stakeholders and engineering leads.
Monitor performance dashboards, classify critical failures or deviations, and propose reliability improvements and repairs.
Participate in root cause analysis of chronic or catastrophic equipment failures.
Update inspection routes and frequencies based on asset history and reliability data.
Audit a sample of completed maintenance work to verify that repairs return assets to OEM specifications.
Collect oil and lubricant samples from critical machinery for laboratory analysis.
Support the development of annual action plans and the implementation of reliability improvements.
Train or support training for maintenance and operations personnel in predictive practices, sensory inspections, equipment, software, methodologies, and procedures.
Manage routine inspection rounds and predictive maintenance audits, including maintenance-plan and task evaluations, cycle times, delay results, and visibility tours.
Lead major failure incident investigations within the area of responsibility.
Conduct routine safety and preventive maintenance activities, including inspections, audits, employee contacts, and visibility tours.
Ensure safety rules and requirements are followed in work areas and predictive maintenance routes, and ensure compliance with visual management standards.
Stay current with technology and recommend changes to improve production processes.
Manage other special projects and perform other duties as assigned.